Having self-financed their own debut album a few years ago and seemingly burst onto the music scene out of nowhere, DJBB continues to surprise and delight with their second album. Although the basic elements are familiar and (in theory) often-used, DJBB moves far away from Finnish hip-hop’s elemental suburban angst and into the deeper waters charted by Giant Robot, and indeed, further beyond.

With the exception of the successful opening track and single "One MC, One Delay", the album’s mood is serenely smoky. Deliciously flavored with jazz dub and ethno influences, the end result is decidedly un-Finnish. Rising in the wake of trendy Finnish rap music, DJBB’s first album shone through with shades of the Beastie Boys.

But here, the group’s music is not merely anchored in the hip-hop world – only via Tommy Lindgren’s smooth and slick lyrics. Musically DJBB’s beatbox rhythms, imaginative sampling techniques and especially rich combination of wind instruments are absolutely unparalleled.

Breaking Daylight proves that progressive pop music isn’t made overnight in a swanky, high-end sound studio, but rather in the recesses of a basement with a microphone in hand and some able fingers on the sampler.

Rating:

JUSSI KULONPALO